Transcript Career Academies: - National High School Center

National High School Center’s
Summer Institute
Transitions Out of High School
June 19, 2008
Robert J. Ivry
MDRC
Key Transition Points in High School
 From
Middle School to High School
(9th grade)
 From 9th to 10th grade
 From High School to Post-Secondary
Education and/or Careers
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Student Goals
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Improve persistence
Improve achievement
Improve educational attainment
Improve college readiness
Increase college enrollments and
completion
Increase labor market success
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System Goals
(America’s Diploma Project)
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Aligning high school standards with
postsecondary and workplace expectations.
Upgrading high school course requirements so
that students take a college and work-ready
curriculum.
Streamlining assessment systems so the tests
that high school students take serve as readiness
tests for college and the workplace.
Holding both high schools and postsecondary
institutions accountable for student success.
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Diagnosing the Problem/Understanding
Contextual Factors

Youth employment rates are falling: down to 35%
 Growing earnings gap between college educated and non-college
educated workers
 Gap between college aspirations of 9th graders, college
enrollment, and college completion (steep funnel)
 Seepage at each stage in the educational pipeline
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Correlation between repeating 9th grade or not earning 9th grade English or algebra
credit and dropping out
High School dropout rates – 50% or more in many large cities and low-income rural
areas
While college going rates are increasing, a high proportion of students are not college
ready
Low completion rates in community colleges particularly for students needing to take
developmental classes
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Educational Intervention and
Enhancements
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Talent Development High School
– Ninth Grade Success Academies and Career Academies in upper grades
– A double blocked schedule enables students to catch up during first semester and earn
English and algebra credits
– Substantial gain for first time 9th graders – improved attendance, increased number of
academic courses earned over 4 years, and get back on track to graduate with a core
curriculum
Enhanced Reading Opportunities
– Early impacts on reading comprehension for students entering 9th grade who are 2-5
grades between grade level
Upward Bound and TRIO Programs
Avid – started as a college prep program with an elective and evolved into
comprehensive school reform
Best practices – early exposure to college admission requirements, visit college
campuses, increased exposure to financial aid options and procedures
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Dual – Credit Programs
Dual enrollment – Encouraging results from
College Now, Florida and Texas
 Early College High Schools
 Middle College High Schools
 Tech Prep
 Summer Bridge
Caution: Some of these programs may accelerate
college enrollment for students who would have
gone to college anyway, but not increase college
access for students who would not have enrolled.
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Scholarship and Incentive Programs
Theory: These programs will both induce students
to work harder in high school and reduce the cost
of college.
 Opportunity New York City
 Kalamazoo Promise
 Merit Based Scholarship Programs
 California Cash for College
 I have a Dream
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Mini Case Studies of Three
Proven Strategies
Career Academies (High School)
 Learning Communities
 Performance-Based Scholarships
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Career Academies
Program Characteristics and Goals
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Scale
–
2,500 throughout the country
– Major networks help with scale-up and sustainability (National Academy
Foundation, Career Academy Support Network)
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Key Features
– Small Learning Communities to promote interpersonal supports and
program coherence
– Career theme to combine academic curriculum with career-related course
sequence
– Employer partnerships to support career awareness and development
activities and work-based learning
 Goals
– Dropout prevention
– Career development and academic achievement
– Pathways to the labor market and post-secondary education
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Key Findings
(4 Years Post-High School)
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Large and sustained impact on employment and earnings
particularly for young men
Relatively high educational outcomes but no impact
(positive or negative) on high school graduation and postsecondary education outcomes
Exposure to career development opportunities, job
navigation skills, and employer-based experiences while in
high school are most likely candidates as sources of impacts
Stay tuned for 8 year post-high results which will be
announced on 6/27/08
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Impacts on Employment and Earnings
By Gender
4 Years Post-High school
Average Monthly Earnings
Average Weekly Hours
Average Hourly Wage
*
*
*
Academy
Non-Academy
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Month-by-Month Impacts on Total
Monthly Earnings for Young Men
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Improving Educational Outcomes
for Community College Students
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Learning Communities Program at Kingsborough
Community College (KCC)
– Groups of ≈ 25 freshman took 3 linked courses together:
English (usually developmental), student development
(taught by counselor), and a standard college course, such
as sociology or health.
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Performance-Based Scholarships in Louisiana
– Low-income parents received $1,000 for two semesters
($2,000 total) on two conditions: enrolled at least half-time
and maintained “C” or better average.
– Scholarship paid in increments: $250 on enrollment, $250
on passing midterms, $500 on passing courses.
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Two-Year Effects of KCC
Learning Communities
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Learning Communities Improved
– students’ college experience
– students’ progression through developmental
English requirements, and
– some educational outcomes while students were
in the learning community program, but the effects
diminished in subsequent semesters.
 The evidence is mixed about whether the
program increased persistence.
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Impact of Learning Communities
on Students’ College Experience
**
**
**
*
Positive Effects on English Exams Required
for Graduation or Transfer
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**
*
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Louisiana Early Results
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Scholarships led students to
– enroll for more credits
– pass more courses and
– persist.
 Effects continued into 3rd and 4th
semesters
 Hurricane Katrina precluded measuring
long-term effects (e.g., graduation)
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Scholarship Led to Higher
Enrollment
**
*
**
*
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Impact of Scholarships
on Total Credits Earned
12.0
***
10.0
8.0
6.0
***
***
4.0
**
2.0
0.0
1st semester
after random
assignment
2nd semester
after random
assignment
Opening Doors group
3rd semester
after random
assignment
Total credits
earned after
random
assignment
Control group
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Robert J. Ivry
[email protected]
(212) 340-8672
http://www.mdrc.org
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